Peanut Butter-and-Banana Chocolate Milkshake

by Stephanie Zonis

Sounds weird, doesn't it? The truth is, it's a very good combination. You can decide the level of peanut butter flavor you want here. If you use the lesser amount, the peanut butter flavor is minimal; use the greater amount, and it tends to rather dominate the other flavors. The banana you use should be ripe, but it doesn't have to be very ripe, as is often the case for other banana recipes. A banana that is mostly golden and still a bit firm is perfectly OK.

You'll want to use a good-quality ice cream here...just a plain chocolate, none of those fancy mixtures. I like Ben & Jerry's or Haagen-Dazs. To soften the ice cream, remove the lid and plastic liner (if any) from a one-pint carton. Microwave at 50% (medium) power for 10-20 seconds, depending upon the power of your microwave. You do not want the ice cream to melt, though if a bit is melted around the carton edges, that's OK. To "measure out" the correct amount, use a large spoon and work quickly. Trace a line in the top of the softened ice cream to divide the carton into halves, then scoop out all the ice cream in one half. As you might expect, this must be served as soon as it's made.

In blender container, combine milk and chocolate syrup. Slice banana into container (avoid splashing), then drop peanut butter on top. Cover; blend at medium speed until well-mixed and smooth, scraping down sides of container as necessary.

Now, soften the ice cream. Quickly add it in chunks to the blender container. Cover; blend at high speed just until smooth. If blender is having trouble because mixture is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of cold milk. Serve immediately.